Read Well, Live Longer

We've long known that education levels correlate to longevity. The New York Times notes that "one study found that people who did not graduate from high school lived an average of nine years less than graduates." Education, it seems, adds to one's health literacy, which then leads to a longer life.

What's new, however, is that one particular characteristic of lower education levels may cause the problem: poor reading skills. A recent study from the Archives of Internal Medicine finds that reading level "independently predicts all-cause mortality and cardiovascular death among community-dwelling elderly persons."

As nHumanities has always known, reading is good for you!

(Illustration John Gilbert, "A Death Unexpected by the Reader," DMVI: ALS019 .)